


Kind Regards

by followbutterfly



Category: X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, Bibliophilia, Charles Is a Darling, Epistolary, Erik Has Feelings, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-18
Updated: 2015-11-18
Packaged: 2018-05-02 05:46:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5236541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/followbutterfly/pseuds/followbutterfly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Erik was so frustrated when the book of his favorite author didn't show up in his mailbox, so he rant on a shop owner from a secondhand book online website via e-mail, asking for the proper responsibility. </p><p>The rest of the story came up with some friendship, the heart broken, and the bonding between the two bibliophiles.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Kind Regards

 

 

1

 

Erik checked his mailbox. Checked and re-checked again, until his neighbor got a bit suspicious and looked curiously at him. Still The Light Within by Amanda Brodie did not appear in the box as it should have a week ago.

He went to the house, leaving his briefcase and the coat on the way lying on the sofa without looking back while opening the laptop in the living room. This was unacceptable. He grunted, as started to write the e-mail furiously.

 

_**Subject: Problem on your Delivery Service** _

_Please check this ordering number YK 3450U83. I haven’t received the book I had ordered a week ago. The terms and conditions confirmed based on my location it should have been delivered a week ago, and I should have finished the book by now._

 

Erik hesitated to write down, _otherwise you will be sued even it’s just a tiny bit of sum (23 $)_ but the tone was enough to suggest that he didn’t back off until he got the book sequel of his life time favorite author

After checking for typo, he resentfully sent the e-mail to help@support.ReadForLove.com without the proper ending, not even had surname signed.

 

Amanda Brodie was Erik’s favorite author. Not because she writes her prose so vividly, well-plotted and tremendously touching in various possible ways, especially to the immigrant like Erik (her origin is Tibetan, but her father is English.) She wrote only one book in her writing career, but he felt such a strong connection between her book and his delicate invisible vacancy that left for an emotion called empathy, which he hardly disposed it to people, except books.  
Also, Black Fiasco was the only book his mother read for him when he was a child before she died 20 years ago.

So, when the 76 year-old author announced that she wrote the sequel, his coworkers had witnessed Erik’s wide eyed excitement for the first time since he had been emotionlessly working there before he could control the nerdy fuss and went back to normal.

While thinking how he could survive throughout the book release, Erik searched for the pre-order on the book shop websites for The Light Within and found out none of them had ever pre-order the book yet (unsurprisingly when Brodie just posted her new title online the day before, yet still frustratingly to him.) Barnes and Nobles merely posted the link for new information online and Simon and Schuster only posted the updated review of Dark Fiasco.

But after a long moment of annoyance, he almost gave up and was ready to search for “How to survive the status quo of the book release” on some bloggers when a link for book online shopping popped up.

The site was, as stupidly as it could be called, ReadForLove.com It was a secondhand book shop online, also selling new books occasionally. Erik clicked on the front page and what he saw made his heart flee.

The website said they could arrange the new Brodie’s book in the special edition in the advance a week ago before the actual release date. Erik discovered (with the trembling hands) that the founder of the website was a former editor and he was acquainted with Brodie through the authorship, therefore she gave him the special edition for online shipping.

As far as Erik knew, Brodie had a very private life. She never makes any public appearance and would loath the hundreds of her die hard fans, demanding and begging any her signed copies in front of her. It made a little sense for without knowing anything about this website. Nonetheless, he promptly clicked Check Out button with The Light Within for the pre-order.

But seven months later, and two week before the book release, he ended up waiting for the reply of this damn website, and prepared to contact his lawyer for the forgery accuse.

After twenty minutes, he received the reply.

 

**_RE Subject: Problem on your Delivery Service_ **

_Dear Mr. Lehnsherr,_

_About your delivery problem, we checked the process and found the book being sent to you two days ago. It must have been some errors about the shipping beyond our reaches. We noticed that your address is in New York, so it won’t take that long for you to hold the hardcover by now._

_However, we will check the tracking number for the shipping tomorrow morning, and e-mail you immediately if it was our fault._

_Have a good day,_

_Charles Xavier_

_Customer Advisor_

 

Erik never felt he deserved less than sorry once in his life but this time. The sarcasm in the sentence it won’t take that long for you to hold the hardcover by now made him angry like a bull. The e-mail didn’t pretend that the problem was on him, to be precise.

His fingers slammed on the keyboard, typing to reply:

  
_To Mr. Xavier,_

_No, I couldn’t see this is my mistake at all but yours. As far as I could remember how often I last check my mailbox and predicted the feeling my hands holding the book (and still does, every day and night.) Again it was your trouble to deal with, not mine._

_Best Regards,_

_Erik Lehnsherr._

 

This time he bothered to add the endings with the sense of sarcasm that he hoped it would make the customer advisor cringed with fear and guilt as much as he could feel.

 

 

2

 

 

He didn’t get the reply for two days later. Erik made up his mind to call his lawyer friend, Moira to Plan B – sue the fucking damn online website even he had a slightly hesitance that it wouldn’t work. Anything online could disappear like a cloud, and Erik was terrified the modern technology for that.

He almost called Moira this afternoon, when Emma knocked his office door.

“Did you get my Christmas card?”

“I’m a Jewish, if you’re getting too old to remember that.”

Emma was familiar with his mood, so she never blinked on his flaming anger. “I noticed that. That’s why I sent to make you angry.” She sighed, “I thought your mood was the result but it didn’t. So you don’t get any?”

“Thank you Emma, but no.” Erik thought he had the right to rub his temper, even he knew it was a habit he hated.

His co-worker, and only friend in the office frowned, “that’s strange. It should’ve been burned to ashes in your dusk bin by now.”

“I received nothing,” Erik glared at her.

Emma didn’t retreat but detected his moodiness with narrow eyes. She was approaching him with a caution, “why don’t you check your address again?”

“What?”

“Your address, honey.”

Erik blinked. He reached the phone and checked the recent address he sent for the pre-order.

 

Shit.

 

_To Mr. Xavier,_

_I know I made a fuss (and I AM a fuss.) Sincerely, I want to apologize. Lately, I cursed you and your late delivery because I overlook the street address. It was 229th Dr N not 229th St Dr S. That’s why the mailman never went near my house._

_I don’t mind if you charge me with the defamation. I am sorry for troubling you._

  _Lehnsherr_

 

Erik got an e-mail ten minutes after that. This time the pronoun was changed.

 

_Dear Mr. Lehnsherr,_

  _Actually I don’t mind a protective blibiophile who can accuse anyone (even a humble second hand book shop) for that._

  _It’s been a long time I have found the passion in printed books, especially Amanda Brodie’s. She is my beloved author as well. Henceforth, I can’t charge you for that._

_I have amended the delivery address on this order for you, as requested. I will contact the shipping division to fix your address label. The parcel will be eventually in your hand._

  _Have a good day,_

_Charles Xavier._

 

This time, Erik noticed, the e-mail address is Charles.X@ReadforLove.com and that made Erik slowly reply, with curiosity, not fury this time.

 

_To Mr. Xavier,_

  _Thank you for your help, again._

_Would you care to light me up why your website can supply the special edition for Brodie’s book in advance? It’s not a big question, though. I just saw the founder was a friend of her. Don’t answer if it’s personal. I know the author is a very private person and I don’t want to pry on._

  _Regards,_

_Lehnsherr_

 

3

 

 

It’s nearly midnight until Charles Xavier sent his personal e-mail.

 

_Dear Mr. Lehnsherr,_

  _Not at all, my friend._

_Well, the founder of this website is my father, Brian Xavier. He used to be an editor for Amanda’s previous book, Dark Fiasco. He finds her writing executively fascinating enough to make him cry after reading the ending. My father knows she is going to be famous even she never dreams to be a writer until her late-fifties._

_The first time I met her I was eleven. She is a lovely woman and I stuttered while telling her how the book has shaped my reading experience until now. I’m so grateful for that._

_The second time I saw her was my father’s funeral. She didn’t cry but she was inconsolable. She was standing alone while I came to greet her. We didn’t talk much and I excused her to leave because I couldn’t stand the grief myself. Her appearance somehow reminds me of my father and his passion in books and writing._

_I really want to leave the life with my father behind, so as Amanda Brodie’s last meeting. Throughout family tragedy and my mother’s second marriage with the most selfish man I’ve known, we have been through the hard time. Still, I always know I can’t abandon my father’s love for book. He not only taught me how to read but to become a reader. That’s why I decided to run a small book shop, trading old books and selling my father’s books for a living after my step father cut off my inheritance._

_I lost touch with Amanda until I heard her new book announcement. I almost forgot she was still writing a novel since my father’s publishing business. She sent me an e-mail, saying she wants to give the last present for my father and the only way she could contribute, as I recalled as a spirit of her as a writer, is to sell them on his website._

_And the thing you might be shocked is, Mr. Lehnsherr, I never had a chance to look at the editions we already sent to you. Amanda Brodie requires to pack the books by herself. There are ten books: you, me and the other eight readers in the world would get to read her book ahead of time._

_Before I sat down and wrote you an e-mail, my sister called me the parcel came up and I take a day-off to read it. A whole day would be full of old memories, of my father’s death and Amanda Brodie standing alone in the rain._

  _Kind Regards,_

_Charles Xavier,_

_P.S. Now you know this website is single-handedly run by a bookworm whose apartment was a becoming a book cave. Enjoy your book and feel it not with your hands but the warming heart. And please call me Charles._

 

It’s past midnight and Erik, who was a grownup man, cried until his pillow was soaked up by his tears.

 

4

 

Two days and three damn nights before Erik got to hold the weight of the parcel by his hand. His heart was pounding as his hands starting to unwrap it.

The cover had nothing special. It was the illustration of a girl standing near the river bank looking far away. The first book was about the coming-of-age and also entwined with the story of his father falling from grace. It was left to his daughter to learn how to forgive him even he couldn’t forgive himself.

The ending was debatably open for discussion whether the man is redeemed, and how the girl would go on living. And that sense of bittersweet Erik wheedled his mother to read, again and again until he could cry as if it was the first time reading.

Her last scene was on the river while she was trying not to alter what happened in her life.  
As if she could have changed it, the girl thought. It was the last sentence of the first book.

Now the sequel, the girl became a woman after twenty years passed. The cover was about the figurative meaning of her reminiscence. Erik started at the cover for quite a while before opening the front page. There was the handwriting on it.

 

_Thank you, reader._

  _I embrace your kindness for my earlier book. I only wrote two for my short life. This one was Dark Fiasco’s grownup twin, more bitter, mature and older._

_The special edition that belongs to you is the contribution to my good friend whose body was gone, but his hope still imprints on my memories. This book is dedicated to him and his son. The little boy I met long time ago is now running a quite lovely book shop online. He is the only fan (if I have one) happened to meet me personally. I remember his brown hair and red cheeks. His blue eyes were full of wonders when he tried to articulate with words how he was so happy to see me. Without his father, I hope his picture in my head would help to remind me how lively this world is. I keep rewinding that incident from time to time, even now it was like an old ragged cassette._

_And reader, even we never meet. I hope you will find peace at reading, which I hope you always will._

  _Happy reading,_

_Amanda Brodie_

 

5

 

It was almost 4 a.m. and Erik finished reading The Light Within. His eyes were strained red and sore from staying up too late. Beyond that, grief and loss that he wouldn’t have known he could feel anymore after his mother’s death were so visible and utterly unbearable.

In the morning, Amanda Brodie was found dead. She committed the suicide in her apartment about a couple days ago. The last person who could identify her was the postman who delivered a chunk of her parcels. The photo showed an ordinary middle-aged woman, wrinkled with the grey hair cut short. Her lips were thin, and the eyes, even in the photograph, were ironically bright as the ocean blue.

Immediately, Erik wrote an e-mail.

 

_To Charles,_

  _I finished the book, didn’t you too?_

 _I know you had heard the news. Please don’t mind if I tell you that I feel you. Don’t feel offended when I told you you’re not alone. The feeling, even unspoken, can be shared._  
_I lost my mother too. She was reading Amanda’s book for me when I was a little. It was the only book I had in our old cottage since I moved from Germany. We are the refugees, and the only hope we had was each other._

_While the day was full of hatred and chaos, the night was quiet and blissful. We got this book from the donation on the Children’s Day my mother brought me in. I read and read a hundred of times and remember the dialogue thoroughly. It eases up my rage for the American people, who refuse us from who we are, the loss for my homeland, and the loss of my family._

_The character Hemiya is right, when she said she is the survivor, not of the catastrophe she went through but feelings, because somehow even a glimpse of incomprehensible misery, could waver and made you lost forever. It was a doubt to love, and to care for a person who’ll never be sure how to process it properly. That’s why her father, Aden, couldn’t survive. He died out of isolation because he didn’t know how to share his feeling to his beloved one._

_Please remember you are not alone. You and your apartment painted with the colors of book spines (in my head, which I think it would be) is a beautiful being I came across to know, and started to get used to now._

_I’m Erik, by the way._

  

6

 

Three days later, Charles sent his e-mail again, this time with P.S. asking Erik for the coffee. And he replied with the most assuring heart.

 

 

 


End file.
